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PSYC 207 Midterm 1 > Lecture 3 > Flashcards

Lecture 3 Flashcards

1
Q

When it comes to labour pain, which of the following is most likely to be a source of new knowledge for you in the next several months?

a) Our culture
b) The Alternative Media
c) Personal experience
d) Scientific knowledge

A

FIND ANSWER

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2
Q

What is the difference between information and knowledge? What is the purpose of knowledge?

A
  • Information: is Sensory data we obtain with its context and meaning (e.g.: stories, images, numbers, words, visceral sensations, feelings).

Knowledge: Inferences we draw and theories we construct from our interpretations of the information we have (purpose: to enable action). Knowledge is quite removed from information

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3
Q

Is there a difference between information and knowledge?

A

yes

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4
Q

How do feelings relate to sensations?

A

feelings are a meaning we attribute to our sensations

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5
Q

Was the orgasmic birth video credible enough to be worth updating our knowledge/beliefs? Why was the name later changed?

A

reaction: on one hand it seems unusual but also she is giving birth so it would be hard for her to perform that.

at some point they changed the name of the movie to organic birth because so many people were in disbelief

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6
Q

What are 2 ways in which new information can fail to change our knowledge?

A
  • Its credibility is assessed as low -> information discarded
  • Its credibility is assessed as acceptable, but it clashes with our pre-existing knowledge
    -> information retained but not integrated into knowledge (filed as ‘exception’)

(this second way is less acknowledged but it is often what happens.)

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7
Q

Is the alternative media likely to be a source of new knowledge about labour pain?

A

no

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8
Q

Why is the alternative media not likely to be a source of new knowledge about labour pain?

A
  • The new information often clashes with our pre-existing knowledge
  • Even when we find it credible, it’s hard to know what to do with this new information
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9
Q

What may be some reasons that research shows that the pregnancy simulations (often used on men) actually have negative educational value? How is it deceptive?

A
  • they are stimulating the wrong muscle (which is why its the wrong kind of pain). Negative educational value when they say it will simulate contractions

-the deceptive thing is the belief that electrical current that comes through the skin is like childbirth. Incorrect. A lot of the pain in this simulation is coming through the skin which is not true to childbirth.

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10
Q

What are labour contractions?

A

Strong muscle contractions

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11
Q

Which muscles are contracting during contractions? Which muscles are not contracting? What happens to the muscle during contractions

A
  • The muscles of the uterus (the abdominal muscles are not contracting)
  • Like any other muscle, the uterine muscle: tenses up and hardens during a contraction relaxes and softens in between contractions
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12
Q

What is the myometrium? What is the endometrium?

A

These 2 layers of the uterus

Myometrium is the muscle part of the uterus, the other is the inner lining of the uterus.

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13
Q

LECTURE 3 SLIDE 18 DIAGRAM. KNOW THE ENDOMETRIUM AND MYOMETRIUM.

A
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14
Q

Why would it be nearly impossible to simulate labour pains in a biological male?

A

the uterus essentially sits between the bowel and the bladder. So when we try to simulate labor contractions for people who don’t have a uterus would be impossible because they don’t have the correct organ

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15
Q

Where does the uterus sit in relation to other organs in the body?

A

the uterus essentially sits between the bowel and the bladder.

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16
Q

What are the 3 different types of muscle fibres?

A
  • skeletal
  • smooth
  • cardiac
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17
Q

What kind of muscle is the uterus?

A

smooth muscle

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18
Q

what is the only type of muscle fibres that the myometrium of the uterus have?

A

The myometrium of the uterus contains only smooth muscle fibres

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19
Q

What would be the best way to relate pain to labour pains?

A

The best way to relate this pain would be through another smooth muscle in the body

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20
Q

What is the difference between skeletal and smooth muscles? What is the difference between what these 2 types of mucles look like when they contract

A
  • Skeletal muscles are attached to the bones and help us move around
  • Smooth muscles are found in most of the internal organs, including the digestive system, bladder, and blood vessels

We need to understand the visual comparative of these things. A contracting skeletal muscle often contracts and bulges. But smooth muscles extend themselves and shorten themselves. They become thicker. They have very different structure and very different sensations they produce when they contract.

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21
Q

LOOK AT DIAGRAM ON LECTURE 3 Pg. 21

A
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22
Q

Can women control their uterine muscles intentionally? Why?

A

no.

This is a big difference between skeletal and smooth muscles. We cannot control our uterine like most smooth muscles intentionally

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23
Q

Can we control skeletal muscles? Ca we train them?

A
  • Skeletal muscles can be volitionally controlled. They can also be trained.
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24
Q

Can we control smooth muscles? Can we train them?

A
  • Smooth muscles cannot be volitionally controlled. They can’t be trained
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25
Q

What are the three main branches of the nervous system?

A
  • Central Nervous system (CNS) (brain and spinal cord)
  • Peripheral nervous system (PNS) (cranial and spinal nerves)
  • Enteric Nervous System (ENS) (digestive tract neurons)
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26
Q

What branch of the nervous system is responsible for direct control over muscles?

A

PNS

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27
Q

What are the two branches of the PNS ?

A
  • Somatic Nervous system
  • Visceral Nervous System
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28
Q

how do the motor (efferent) branches of the 2 branches of the PNS differ?

A
  • the motor (efferent) branch of somatic nervous system in the PNS is responsible for motor innervation of skeletal muscles.
  • the motor (efferent) branch of the visceral nervous system is responsible for the motor innervation of smooth muscles, cardiac muscle, and glands. It also branches off into the sympathetic (fight or flight) and the parasympathetic (calm and connection) nervous systems.
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29
Q

What is the other name for the motor (efferent) branch of the visceral nervous system (PNS)?

A

Autonomic nervous system.

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30
Q

What does the autonomic nervous system (branch of the visceral nervous system in the PNS) influence?

A

This influences the rate at which smooth muscles contract. This part is not volitionally controlled and the sensation of contractions is very different as well

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31
Q

When are smooth muscles more likely to contract?

A

when we’re calm

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32
Q

Is the uterus a lot bigger by the end of pregnancy?

A

yes

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33
Q

What is sometimes used by midwives to measure the progression of pregnancy?

A

the height of the uterus

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34
Q

How much more does the pregnant uterus weigh than the non-pregnant uterus?

A

10 to 20 times more

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35
Q

How much more volume does the pregnant uterus have compared to the non-pregnant uterus?

A

500 times

36
Q

What is the difference in length of the smooth muscle fibres in the pregnant vs non-pregnant uterus?

A

10 times longer in the pregnant uterus

37
Q

What is the difference in width of the smooth muscle fibres in the pregnant vs non-pregnant uterus?

A

3 times wider than the pregnant uterus

38
Q

What is a reason that the pregnant uterus increases in size and length?

A

because the size and width of the muscle tissue increases

39
Q

What networks connect muscle fibres in the uterus?

A

connective tissue and blood vessels

40
Q

LOOK AT IMAGE ON LECTURE 3 SLIDE 31 OF MUSCLE FIBRES

A
41
Q

Is the structure of smooth muscle layered?

A

yes.

42
Q

What is happening when a smooth muscle increases in thickness?

A

additional fibres are being built

43
Q

LOOK AT DIAGRAM ON LECTURE 3 PAGE 32 OF SMOOTH MUSCLE

A
44
Q

When does the non-pregnant uterus undergo contractions?

A

orgasm, menstrual cramps

45
Q

Do smooth muscles like the uterus and gut undergo contractions all the time?

A

yes

46
Q

When does a non-pregnant uterus undergo contractions?

a) Duringmenstruation
b) Duringorgasm
c) All the time
d) Alloftheabove
e) Noneoftheabove

A

All of the above

47
Q

When does the pregnant uterus undergo contractions?

a) Duringmenstruation
b) Duringorgasm
c) All the time
d) Alloftheabove
e) Noneoftheabove

A

During Orgasm

48
Q

What is one of the big changes that happens to the pregnant uterus?

A

One of the big changes that happens to the uterus under pregnancy is it doesn’t contract all the time

49
Q

How does uterus innervation change during pregnancy?

A

Uterine innervation changes profoundly too
* At term (by around 37-40 weeks of pregnancy), there is almost complete denervation of the uterus

50
Q

What is it called when the uterus is almost completely denervated at 37-40 weeks? What does it mean?

A

*Pregnancy induced hypoalgesia

This is basically the loss of sensation in the uterus because it has been disconnected from the sensory fibres of the nervous system that carries figures along

51
Q

Why do contractions change in pregnancy?

A

Because of innervation which refers to how it interfaces with the rest of the body. becuase of these changes in innervation the contractiosn change as well

52
Q

What happens to the visceral nervous system (part of the PNS) during birth?

A

Basically the visceral nervous system moves away during childbirth

53
Q

What are the 2 branches of the visceral nervous system? What do they do?

A
  • Motor (efferent) aka autonomic nervous system

Motor innervation of smooth muscle, cardiac muscles, and glands

  • sensory (afferent)

Stretch, pain, temperature, chemical changes, irritation in viscera, nausea, and hunger

54
Q

What state does the pregnant uterus enter into?

A

into a special state of uterine quiescence

55
Q

What does uterine quiescence mean?

A

This basically means quietness

56
Q

When in pregnancy does the uterus become active again after uterine quiescence? What does this lead to?

A

in late pregnancy (37-40 weeks), it starts becoming active again

  • spontaneous ongoing contractions
  • “practice” (Braxton-Hicks) contractions
57
Q

By the end of pregnancy what is typically responsible for contractions and why?

A

By the end of pregnancy because the denervation happens pretty much the only thing that happens in the uterus is caused by hormones

58
Q

What is the evolution of uterine innervation and denervation during pregnancy?

A

soon after the pregnancy begins the uterus reduces its spontaneous contractivity and then that changes again near the end of pregnancy where the uterus gets contractions again.

59
Q

When does the pregnant uterus contract strongly?

A

it contracts strongly during
* orgasms in pregnancy
* labour and birth
* the post-partum period

60
Q

Why does the uterus contract strongly in the post partum pregnancy?

A

it contracts really strongly during the post partum period because it has to shrink, because some of the size increase comes from vasculature,

61
Q

How long does it take for the uterus to return to the non-pregnant state?

A

After pregnancy, we have something like 6 weeks of the uterus returning to the non-pregnant state. After 6 weeks it has become innervated again

62
Q

Explain motor innervation in the non-pregnant uterus.

A
  • Neural fibres exit the spinal cord, innervating all pelvic cavity organs, including the uterus, bladder, and rectum
  • Sympathetic fibres exit at higher levels along the spinal cord (T10-L2) than parasympathetic fibres (S2-4)
63
Q

What process relates to autonomic control over contractility?

A

motor innervation of the non-pregnant uterus

64
Q

LOOK AT THE DIAGRAM ON LECTURE 3 Pg 39

A

the part in yellow is part of the autonomic nervous system that is supplying organs with sensory fibres.

65
Q

What does the autonomic nervous system supply the organs with?

A

the part in yellow is part of the autonomic nervous system that is supplying organs with sensory fibres.

66
Q

Does the autonomic nervous system control itself?

A

yes.

67
Q

How does the autonomic nervous system control smooth muscles? How does this relate to innervation?

A

Nerve fibres release neurotransmitters onto muscle cells through autonomic varicosities (vesicles).

The neurons go and end in the muscle fibres so there are ways in which the neurotransmitters that are released by the neurons end in the muscle fibres. This is what we mean by it is innervating the muscle, it has the possibility to make it move, contract, do stuff etc.

68
Q

How does sensory innervation (carrying visceral sensations) in the non-pregnant uterus work?

A

Sensory nerves from the uterus enter the spinal cord at higher levels (T10-L1) than those from the cervix and upper part of the vagina (at S2-S4)

69
Q

What are 3 types of visceral sensations in the non-pregnant uterus?

A

distension/stretch

inflammation

ischemia

70
Q

What can inflammation trigger relating to birth?

A

inflammation turns out to be one of the triggers of labour and muscle pain. Partly why labour pain is more complex than simulations

71
Q

What is ischemia?

A

ischemia is lack of oxygen and is really important for pain sometimes.

72
Q

Where do the sensory nerves from the uterus go to?

A

the sensation of pain would be carried by the sensory innervation, the sensory nerves from the uterus go to the spinal cord so they are seprated from the pain in the cervix and the vagina. This is relevant for pharmacelogical interventions.

73
Q

What is the difference in terms of nerve density between the uterus and other smooth muscles?

A

In comparison to other smooth muscles of the body (which tend to be richly innervated) the uterus has a relatively low density of nerves to smooth muscles cells

74
Q

Why is it easier to feel what is happening in the gut compared to the non-pregnant uterus?

A

Th non-pregnant uterus has a relatively low density compared to the gut etc. meaning it is easier to feel things that happen in the gut.

75
Q

Does density of the uterus go down or up during pregnancy? What influences this? What is happening (2 things)?

A

goes down. Ovarian hormones

  • hypertrophy of uterine myocytes
  • decrease in number of nerve fibres
76
Q

What is the difference between the number of uterine nerve fibres in non-pregnancy, pregnancy, and labour?

A
  • most nerve fibres in non-pregnant uterus
  • least nerve fibres in term pregnant uterus
  • slightly more nerve fibres than term pregnant uterus during labour.
77
Q

What orchestrates motor dennervation?

A

orchestrated by ovarian hormones

78
Q

What does uterine denervation help maintain?

A

uterine quiescence (this is why the uterus doesn’t contract all the time)

the motor denervation helps main the quietness of the uterus (it doesn’t contract/react very wmuch during pregnancy btut it excites a lot during labour to facilitate birth

79
Q

How does denervation effect contractions in uterus?

A

inhibition is relative rather than absolute (e.g., abortion can be induced by strong pharmacological stimulation at any point in gestation)

it is still possible to cause contractions but it is harder because of the loss of denervation

80
Q

During denervation what happens to uterine tone maintenance?

A

uterine tone maintenance remains, but there is resistance to propagated (coordinated) contractions

81
Q

What is mainly responsible for control of contractility when uterus is dennervated?

A

control of contractility becomes predominantly hormonal

82
Q

What is the myometrium? When is it innervated? How is it dennervated?

What is the Endometrium? What is it made up of? What is it associated with?

A

Myometrium (uterine muscle): innervated through autonomic nerve fibres

  • denervated during pregnancy

Endometrium (uterine lining): glands and tiny blood vessels
- release of hormones

83
Q

Is sensory denervation well understood?

A

no.

84
Q

Why is sensory denervation not well understood?

A

there are very few studies on it.

85
Q

What could be a potential reason for sensory denervation? Is it selective to a certain part of the uterus? Why might we think this?

A

could serve to reduce contractility (stretch sensations can induce contraction of the myometrium and other muscles)

may be selective to the uterine muscle
* stretch sensations from the myometrium would be essentially undetectable

PSYC 207 Midterm 1 (13 decks)

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